Michael "Madman" Marcum
From Kook Science
Michael E. Marcum (b. c. 1974), also known as Madman Marcum, is an American inventor who has reported experimenting in time travel beginning in 1995, when he was arrested in Stanberry, Gentry Co., Missouri over the theft of up to six transformers from St. Joseph Light & Power that he had been using to power a Jacob's ladder antenna, eventually being sentenced to thirty days. Marcum notably made appearances on Art Bell's radio shows following his release from prison, during which he expounded on his claims to have been seeking the means of travel through time.
Press Coverage
Arrest and Incarceration (1995)
- Jones, Mike (8 Feb. 1995), "'Time machine' gets its inventor time behind bars: He stole transformer to power it, police say", St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO): 1B, 4B, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/562933897/
- Sheehan, Mark (12 Feb. 1995), "Better living through science: REE MICHAEL E. MARCUM.", St. Joseph News-Press: 7A, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/562934214/, "You must have heard by now about Marcum, the former Ohioan and present martyr of Stanberry. He is the scientific oracle whom authorities accuse of daring to reappropriate a half-dozen electric transformers in order to tape into that mystical stream called time. This cosmic surgery, of course, involves creating a vortex of electrical energy to pierce the fabric of the universe. Through that hole, we will be able to saunter back and forth through time like a stroll through the mall."
- Canon, Scott (12 Feb. 1995), "'Time machine' builder's arrest thwarts ambitious travel plans. Journal apparently requires transformers. Missouri man is accused of stealing three.", Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): B2, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/683698240/, "Marcum, 21, originally is from Gallipolis, Ohio, and worked at a plant that makes cardboard tubes for toilet paper rolls, his attorney said[...] The sheriff said Marcum apparently has some aptitude for electronics. He had hooked up one of the transformers to the fuse box at his home and pieced together a 'Jacob's ladder' — a V-shaped antenna with electrical sparks arcing from one side to the other."
- News-Press (16 Feb. 1995), "Marcum waives right to hearing", St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO): 1, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/562934559/
- Jones, Mike (8 Mar. 1995), "Time machine inventors hopes device will let him win lottery", St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO): 1, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/563848466/
- News-Press (10 Mar. 1995), "Inventor with eyes on future ordered to do his time in jail", St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO): 2, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/563848865/
Coast to Coast / Dreamland with Art Bell (1995-1996)
- 18 April 1995, first interview with Michael "Madman" Marcum, in which Art Bell himself grants Marcum the moniker Madman.
- 8 October 1996, second interview with Michael "Madman" Marcum.
Post-Bell Appearances (1996)
- Sampson, Ovetta (9 Oct. 1996), "T minus 30 days, and counting... Hopeful time traveler appears on talk radio to tout near-success", St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO): 1, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/563144381/
- DeHaven, Jess (11 Oct. 1996), "Time travel hopeful gains new fame", St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO): A1, A8, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/563144607/
Interview in Nexus Magazine (2011)
- Offutt, Jason (Aug. & Sept. 2011), "Mike Marcum's Time Machine Experiments", NEXUS (nexusmagazine.com): 1-5, https://web.archive.org/web/20151213055615/https://d3adcc0j1hezoq.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/NEXUS-Marcum.pdf
Midnight in the Desert with Art Bell (2015)
- 4 September 2015, new interview with Michael "Madman" Marcum, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xGJeUNuFTM